Katete - research

Last week in Katete I had the privilege of being escorted around St. Francis Hospital by the maintenance engineer, John, a Welshman who is the life and breath of the hospital.  Having lived in Zambia for 18 years he has seen it all, and lives to support medical hospitals by keeping the electricity and water flowing freely.  His sidekick is Father James, a Cambridge educated Anglican priest who resides at St. Francis Church and hospital.  If John is the life and breath of the hospital, Father James is the heart.  He spends his days visiting nearby villages, as well as people with HIV.  James is Zambian, and was top of his secondary school class and received a full-ride scholarship to study at Cambridge.  He is one of many educated Zambians we have met who have returned to Zambia to support their communities.

John and James introduced us to a midwife, Veronica, who had just signed-off her night shift and welcomed us into her home at 9am to speak with her.  I am specifically researching maternal health on this trip so I conducted the interview along with two others in my group researching healthcare.  The most profound piece of info I leaned was that 50% of premature babies do not survive at St. Francis, most of whom are under 27 weeks old.  Early labor is caused by malnutrition due to lack of proten from a maize-based diet, as well as working at home strenously - lifting heavy things, etc.  The hospital seems to be fairly well-stocked with medicine and also has machines like CT, xray and ultrasound and is well-funded jointly by the Anglican and Catholic church.  The problem is there are not enough doctors, they are severely under-staffed. 

Pain meds are only administered during surgery (which they call 'theatre').  They do not use anything during labor, though ocytocin is readily available to prevent hemorrhage.  St. Francis rarely loses women during childbirth.  Those that die experience postpartum hemmorhage at home (PPH) or from using traditional healing methods - herbs - which often cause uterine rupture. 

Returning from the hospital and Veronica's house I helped roast and shell peanuts which are used to make peanut butter here at Tikondane.  They also make their own soaps which we helped stir and pour into molds.  These self-sustaining projects are helping the community center exist as well as employing and helping community members.